Sally Ride Biography: First American Woman in Space July 25, 2012 02:59pm ET MORE Floating freely on the flight deck, Sally Ride communicates with ground controllers in Houston during her STS-7 mission in June 1983. Credit: NASA Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. She made two shuttle flights, and later became a champion for science education and a role model for generations. Tennis and physics Born in Encino, Calif., on May 26, 1951, Sally Kristen Ride was the older of two daughters of Dale B. Ride and Carol Joyce (Anderson) Ride. Her father was a professor of political science and her mother was a counselor. While neither had a background in the physical sciences, she credited them with fostering her deep interest in science by encouraging her to explore. An athletic youngster, Ride attended Westlake High School for Girls, a prep school in Los Angeles, on a partial tennis scholarship. She graduated in 1968. After a brief foray into professional tennis, she returned to California to attend Stanford University.

There she received a bachelor of science degree in physics and a bachelor of arts degree in English in 1973. Furthering her studies at Stanford, she obtained a master of science degree in 1975 and a doctorate in physics in 1978. After completing her studies at Stanford, Ride applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Besting thousands of applicants, Ride was selected as one of NASA's first six female astronauts and began spaceflight training in 1978. Ride started her aeronautics career on the ground, serving as a capsule communicator as part of the ground-support crew for the second (November 1981) and third (March 1982) shuttle flights. At 32, Ride experienced her first spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS-7, NASA's seventh shuttle mission, aboard the space shuttle Challenger. The mission launched on June 18, 1983 and returned to Earth on June 24. Tasks on the mission included launching communications satellites for Canada and Indonesia. The astronauts also conducted the first successful satellite deployment and retrieval in space using the shuttle's robotic arm.

During the flight, Ride became the first woman to operate the shuttle's robotic arm. Ride's history-making Challenger mission was not her only spaceflight. She also became the first American woman to travel to space a second time when she launched on another Challenger mission, STS-41-G, on Oct. 5, 1984. That mission lasted nine days. On that flight, she used the shuttle’s robotic arm to remove ice from the shuttle's exterior and to readjust a radar antenna. Ride was assigned to a third shuttle mission, but her crew's training was cut short by the Challenger disaster in January 1986. [Images: Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space ] Space shuttle investigations While Ride shaped the future of space aeronautics on her first historic Challenger flight, she continued to influence the space program after her days of space travel were over. Ride served on the accident investigation boards set up in response to the two space shuttle tragedies — Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. In 2009, she participated in the Augustine committee that helped define NASA's spaceflight goals.

From 1982 to 1987, Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steven Hawley. They had no children. Former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women at the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., in 2003. Credit: NASA Post-NASA work While she left NASA in 1987, her passion for space and science never waned. Ride joined Stanford University Center for International Security and Arms Control after leaving NASA. She later became a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. She served as president of SPACE.com from 1999 to 2000. Believing that it was important encourage students — especially girls — to embrace the study of science, she founded Sally Ride Science, a science outreach company, in 2001. One of the company's efforts included adding the MoonKam experiment onto unmanned NASA's Grail moon gravity probes, which allowed students to choose and take their own photos of the moon from lunar orbit. Ride also wrote five science-related children’s books: To Space and Back; Voyager; The Third Planet; The Mystery of Mars; and Exploring Our Solar System.

Ride died on July 23, 2012 , at the age of 61 following a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Ride is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, and also chief operating officer and executive vice president of Sally Ride Science, as well as her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and her nephew, Whitney. — Kim Ann Zimmermann Sally Ride - the First American Woman in Space Sally Ride Sally Ride The First American Woman in Space A picture of astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. (Photo courtesy of NASA) By Janet Ogle-Mater, Contributing Writer Updated February 04, 2016. Who Was Sally Ride? Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18, 1983 on board space shuttle Challenger. A pioneer of the final frontier, she charted a new course for Americans to follow, not only into the country’s space program, but by inspiring young people, especially girls, to careers in science, math, and engineering.

Dates: May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012 Also Known As: Sally Kristen Ride; Dr. Sally K. Ride Growing Up Sally Ride was born in a suburb of Los Angeles in Encino, California, on May 26, 1951. She was the first child of parents, Carol Joyce Ride (a counselor at the county jail) and Dale Burdell Ride (a political science professor at Santa Monica College). A younger sister, Karen, would add to the Ride family a few years later. Her parents soon recognized, and encouraged, their first daughter’s early athletic prowess. Sally Ride was a sports fan at a young age, reading the sports page by the age of five. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance She played baseball and other sports in the neighborhood and was often chosen first for teams. Throughout her childhood she was an outstanding athlete, which culminated in a tennis scholarship to a prestigious private school in Los Angeles, the Westlake School for Girls. It was there she became captain of the tennis team during her high school years and competed in the national junior tennis circuit, ranking 18th in the semi-pro league.

Sports were important to Sally, but so were her academics. She was a good student with a fondness for science and math. Her parents recognized this early interest as well and supplied their young daughter with a chemistry set and telescope. Sally Ride excelled at school and graduated from Westlake School for Girls in 1968. She then enrolled at Stanford University and graduated in 1973 with bachelor degrees in both English and Physics. Becoming an Astronaut In 1977, while Sally Ride was a physics doctoral student at Stanford, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a national search for new astronauts and for the first time allowed women to apply, so she did. A year later, Sally Ride was selected, along with five other women and 29 men, as a candidate for NASA’s astronaut program . She received her Ph.D. in astrophysics that same year, 1978, and began training and evaluation courses for NASA. By the summer of 1979, Sally Ride had completed her astronaut training , which included parachute jumping , water survival, radio communications, and flying jets.

She also received a pilot’s license and then became eligible for an assignment as a Mission Specialist in the U.S. Space Shuttle program. During the next four years, Sally Ride would prepare for her first assignment on mission STS-7 (Space Transport System) aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Along with hours of in-classroom instruction learning every aspect of the shuttle, Sally Ride also logged numerous hours in the shuttle simulator. She helped develop the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) , a robotic arm, and became proficient at its use. Ride was the communications officer relaying messages from mission control to the space shuttle crew of the Columbia for the second mission, STS-2, in 1981, and again for the STS-3 mission in 1982. Also in 1982, she married fellow astronaut Steve Hawley . Sally Ride in Space Sally Ride launched into American history books on June 18, 1983, as the first American women into space when the space shuttle Challenger rocketed into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board STS-7 were four other astronauts: Captain Robert L. Crippen, the spacecraft commander; Captain Frederick H.

Hauck, the pilot; and two other Mission Specialists, Colonel John M. Fabian and Dr. Norman E. Thagard. Sally Ride was in charge of launching and retrieving satellites with the RMS robotic arm, the first time it was used in such an operation on a mission. The five-person crew conducted other maneuvers and completed a number of scientific experiments during their 147 hours in space before landing at Edwards Air Force Base on June 24, 1983, in California. Sixteen months later, on October 5, 1984, Sally Ride rode into space again on the Challenger. Mission STS-41G was the 13th time a shuttle had flown into space and was the first flight with a crew of seven. It also held other firsts for women astronauts. Kathryn (Kate) D. Sullivan was part of the crew, placing two American women in space for the first time. Additionally, Kate Sullivan became the first woman to conduct a spacewalk, spending over three hours outside the Challenger conducting a satellite refueling demonstration. As before, this mission included the launch of satellites along with scientific experiments and observations of Earth.

The second launch for Sally Ride ended on October 13, 1984, in Florida after 197 hours in space. Sally Ride came home to fanfare from both the press and the public. However, she quickly turned her focus to her training. While she was anticipating a third assignment as a member of the crew of STS-61M, tragedy struck the space program. Disaster in Space On January 28, 1986, a seven-person crew, including the first civilian headed to space, teacher Christa McAuliffe , took their seats inside the Challenger. Seconds after lift-off, with thousands of Americans watching, the Challenger exploded into fragments in the air. All seven on board were killed, four of whom were from Sally Ride’s 1977 training class. This public disaster was a great blow to NASA’s space shuttle program , resulting in grounding of all space shuttles for three years. When President Ronald Reagan called for a federal investigation into the cause of the tragedy, Sally Ride was selected as one of 13 commissioners to take part in the Rogers Commission.

Their investigation found the main cause of the explosion was due to the destruction of the seals in the right rocket motor, which allowed hot gases to leak through the joints and weaken the external tank. While the shuttle program was grounded, Sally Ride turned her interest toward NASA’s planning of future missions. She moved to Washington D.C. to NASA headquarters to work in the new Office of Exploration and Office of Strategic Planning as a Special Assistant to the Administrator. Her task was to assist NASA in the development of long-term goals for the space program. Ride became the first Director of the Office of Exploration. Then, in 1987, Sally Ride produced “Leadership and America’s Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator,” commonly known as the Ride Report, detailing suggested future focuses for NASA. Among them were Mars exploration and an outpost on the Moon. That same year, Sally Ride retired from NASA. She also divorced in 1987. Returning to Academia After leaving NASA, Sally Ride set her sights on a career as a college professor of physics. She returned to Stanford University to complete a postdoc at the Center for International Security and Arms Control. While the Cold War was waning, she studied the banning of nuclear weapons .

With her postdoc complete in 1989, Sally Ride accepted a professorship at University of California at San Diego (UCSD) where she not only taught but also researched bow shocks, the shock wave resulting from stellar wind colliding with another medium. She also became the Director of the University of California’s California Space Institute. She was researching and teaching physics at UCSD when another shuttle disaster brought her temporarily back to NASA. Second Space Tragedy When the space shuttle Columbia launched on January 16, 2003, a piece of foam broke off and struck the shuttle’s wing. It wasn’t until the spacecraft’s descent to Earth more than two weeks later on February 1st that trouble caused from the lift-off damage would be known. The shuttle Columbia broke up with its re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard the shuttle. Sally Ride was asked by NASA to join the panel of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to look into the cause of this second shuttle tragedy. She was the only person to serve on both space shuttle accident investigation commissions. Science and Youth While at UCSD, Sally Ride noted that very few women were taking her physic classes.

Wanting to establish a long-term interest and love of science in young children, especially girls, she collaborated with NASA in 1995 on KidSat. The program gave students in American classrooms the opportunity to control a camera on the space shuttle by requesting specific photographs of Earth. Sally Ride obtained the special targets from students and pre-programmed the necessary information and then sent it to NASA for inclusion on the shuttle’s computers, after which the camera would take the designated image and send it back to the classroom for study. After successful runs on space shuttle missions in 1996 and 1997, the name was changed to EarthKAM. A year later the program was installed on the International Space Station where on a typical mission, more than 100 schools participate and 1500 photographs are taken of the Earth and its atmospheric conditions. With EarthKAM’s success, Sally Ride was bolstered to find other avenues to bring science to youth and the public. As the Internet was growing in everyday use in 1999, she became president of an online company called Space.com, which highlights scientific news for those interested in space.

After 15 months with the company, Sally Ride set her sights on a project to specifically encourage girls to seek out careers in science. She put her professorship at UCSD on hold and founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to develop young girls’ curiosity and encourage their life-long interest in science, engineering, technology, and math. Through space camps, science festivals, books on exciting scientific careers, and innovative classroom materials for teachers, Sally Ride Science continues to inspire young girls, as well as boys, to pursue careers in the field. In addition, Sally Ride co-authored seven books on science education for children. From 2009 to 2012, Sally Ride Science along with NASA initiated another program for the science education for middle school students, GRAIL MoonKAM. Students from around the world select areas on the moon to be photographed by satellites and then the images can be used in the classroom to study the lunar surface. Legacy of Honors and Awards Sally Ride garnered a number of honors and awards throughout her outstanding career.

She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame (1988), the Astronaut Hall of Fame (2003), the California Hall of Fame (2006), and the Aviation Hall of Fame (2007). Twice she received the NASA Space Flight Award. She was also the recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service, Lindberg Eagle, the von Braun Award, NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award, and the National Space Grant Distinguished Service Award. Sally Ride Dies Sally Ride died on July 23, 2012, at the age of 61 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. It was only after her death that Ride disclosed to the world that she was a lesbian; in an obituary that she co-wrote, Ride revealed her 27-year relationship with partner Tam O’Shaughnessy. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, left a legacy of science and space exploration for Americans to honor. She also inspired young people, especially girls, across the world to reach for the stars.

First US woman in space, Sally Ride, dies at 61 - Technology & science - Space | NBC News Watch a 'ring of fire' solar eclipse online "As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," Obama said in a White House statement. "She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars, and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally’s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come." NASA's leaders issued tributes as well. "Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism — and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired.

She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly." NASA's deputy administrator, Lori Garver, said Ride "was a personal and professional role model to me and thousands of women around the world." "Her spirit and determination will continue to be an inspiration for women everywhere," Garver said. Huge expectations Ride was a mission specialist on her first mission, STS-7, which put the Canadian Anik C-2 and the Indonesian Palapa B-1 communication satellites into orbit. In an 2008 interview timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the flight, Ride acknowledged that her status as the first American woman "carried huge expectations along with it." "I didn't really think about it that much at the time ... but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected to be the first to get a chance to go into space," she said. Thousands of spectators wore T-shirts and buttons emblazoned with the slogan "Ride, Sally, Ride" on launch day.

More tributes stream in: 'Ride, Sally, Ride' Ride made a second space shuttle flight in 1984, also aboard Challenger, and was in training for her third mission when Challenger exploded in 1986, killing all seven crew members. She left the space agency a year later, and served for years as a physics professor and director of the California Space Institute. In 2001, she founded Sally Ride Science, a which is aimed at promoting math and science for girls. One of her projects was to develop a camera that could fly aboard spacecraft and take pictures for middle-school students. The fruits of those efforts include EarthKAM on the International Space Station and MoonKAM on the GRAIL lunar probes. "What might seem like just a cool activity for these kids may very well have a profound impact on their futures," Ride said after the first student-requested MoonKAM pictures were released in March of this year. Investigated two tragedies Ride was the only person to serve on both of the investigative boards for NASA's two shuttle tragedies, the Challenger explosion as well as the 2003 loss of Columbia and its crew.

She was also a member of the commission that laid out space policy options for the Obama administration in 2009. That panel's conclusions led the White House to cancel a plan to send astronauts back to the moon, known as the Constellation program, and instead set the nation's sights on exploring near-Earth asteroids, leading eventually to missions to Mars. When the commission completed its report, Ride bristled over the limitations that NASA's exploration efforts faced. "This budget is just simply not friendly to exploration," she said. "It's very difficult to find an exploration scenario that actually fits within this very restrictive budget guidance that we've been given." Why is pancreatic cancer so deadly? The announcement of Ride's death noted that she is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy, who is the chief operating officer and executive vice president for content at Sally Ride Science. Other survivors include her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin; and her nephew, Whitney. Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steven Hawley in 1982, but they divorced in 1987 with no children.

Hawley, who is now a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, remembered Ride in a NASA statement as "a very private person who found herself a very public persona." "While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential," Hawley said. "Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard. I think she would be pleased with that legacy." Sally Ride Remembered by Female Space Shuttle Commanders Sally Ride's Legacy: 1st Female Space Shuttle Commanders Speak Out By Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor | July 24, 2012 10:50am ET MORE Seen on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally K. Ride, STS-7 mission specialist, became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983. Credit: NASA This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. EDT.

The news of Sally Ride's death yesterday (July 23) has impacted many around the globe, most especially those who traveled directly in her footsteps. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. Since then, dozens of U.S. females have made spaceflights. Two of them, Eileen Collins and Pamela Melroy, achieved another historic milestone, becoming the only women to command a space shuttle mission. "I knew I wanted to be an astronaut from watching the Apollo astronauts land on the moon, but Sally cemented the belief inside me that I could do it," Melroy wrote in an email to SPACE.com. "She paved the way for women to work in space and made it so much easier for other women to follow where she led." Collins became the first female space shuttle commander when she led the STS-93 flight of the shuttle Columbia in July 1999, just 16 years after Ride's first flight. Melroy then commanded the space shuttle Discovery in 2007, becoming the last woman to command a shuttle before the fleet retired in 2011.

[ Sally Ride: 1st American Woman in Space (Pictures) ] "I am surprised and saddened by the news of Sally Ride’s passing ," Collins wrote in an email yesterday. "She was such a wonderful role model and source of inspiration to me. People around the world still recognize her name as the first American woman in space, and she took that title seriously even after departing NASA. She mentored me several times during my astronaut career, leaving me with many cherished memories." NASA's two female shuttle commanders: Eileen Collins, at left, and Pamela Melroy, at right. Credit: NASA Collins, who retired from NASA in 2006, said Ride inspired by example. "She never sought media attention for herself, but rather focused on doing her normally outstanding job," Collins said. "Her 'Sally Ride Science' programs have reached thousands of middle school girls, giving them the confidence to stay focused on math and science, even when the mass media message was otherwise. She also played a notable role in both the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations. Sally left us too soon. God Speed Sally, you will be greatly missed." Collins and Melroy are not the only women to have commanded space missions.

NASA's current chief astronaut is veteran spaceflyer Peggy Whitson, who commanded the International Space Station's Expedition 16 mission in 2007 and 2008. The space station's second female commander, Sunita Williams, is on the orbiting laboratory now and will take command later this year. "The selection of the 1978 Astronaut Class that included Sally and several other women, had a huge impact on my dream to become an astronaut. The success of those woman, with Sally paving the way, made my dream seem one step closer to becoming a reality," Whitson said in a statement. Ride, a physicist, took her status as role model seriously, and harnessed it to reach out to students through Sally Ride Science, the company she founded in 2001. The organization worked to inspire boys and girls in the subjects of science, math and technology through outreach in classrooms and teacher training. "I met Sally for the first time on her speaking tour after her first flight, shortly after I had graduated from Wellesley College," said Melroy, who retired from NASA in 2009 and now works at the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation.

"She was fascinating, smart, humble, very nice - and completely inspirational." Sally Ride died at age 61 in San Diego, Calif., of pancreatic cancer . Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom . We're also on Facebook & Google+ . Editor's Recommendations A List of Firsts and Milestones in Space Exploration By Nick Greene Updated March 04, 2016. Space exploration began back in the 1950s when the first rockets were sent to space. For more decades, the space agencies of the world have been lofting people, animals, plants, and more into space. Let's look at some of the many accomplishments — the "space firsts". The first Earthling in space: Laika , a dog, was launched into space on the Sputnik 2 in 1957. She survived the launch and for a time in space, but after a week, the air ran out and Laika died. The following year, as its orbit deteriorated, the craft left space and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and, without heat shields, burned up along with Laika's body.

The first human in space: Yuri Gagarin , a cosmonaut from the USSR, was launched into space on April 12, 1961 aboard the Vostok 1. His flight lasted one hour and forty-five minutes, orbiting the Earth one time. Describing the view of the Earth from space, Gagarin radioed, "It has a very beautiful sort of halo, a rainbow." The first American in space: Alan Shepard was launched into space aboard Mercury 3 on May 5, 1961 to become the first American in space. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World His craft did not achieve orbit, but rose to a height of 116 miles and traveled 303 miles before safely parachuting into the Atlantic Ocean. The first American to orbit the Earth: On February 20, 1962, the Friendship 7 capsule carried astronaut John Glenn around the Earth three times on a five-hour space flight. He was the first American to orbit our planet. The first woman in space: Valentina Tereshkova flew in space aboard the Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963.

The first American woman in space: On June 18, 1983, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off with Sally Ride aboard. She was the first American woman in space. The youngest American in space: Besides being the first American woman in space, Sally Ride was also the youngest American when she rode the Challenger in 1983. The first person to make a second trip into space: Gemini 3, the first piloted Gemini flight, included Virgil "Gus" Grissom among its crew as it lifted off in March of 1965. He had previously flown in space in July, 1961 aboard the second suborbital Mercury mission. The first African-American in space: August 30, 1983, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off with Guion "Guy" Bluford, Jr. , the first African American in space. The first African-American woman in space: Mae Jemison lifted off in the space shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992, first African American woman in space.

The first space walk: Alexei Leonov, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first person to step outside of his spacecraft while in space, on March 18, 1965. He spent 12 minutes as he floated as far as 17.5 feet from his Voskhod 2 craft, enjoying the first space walk ever. The first American to walk in space: During the Gemini 4 mission, Ed White made a 21 minute EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity), also known as a space walk. The first American woman to pilot a spacecraft: Eileen Collins piloted the space shuttle Discovery in 1995. The first man on the moon: With his famous words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Neil Armstrong , on the Apollo 11 mission, stepped onto the Lunar surface on July 20, 1969, becoming the first man on the Moon. The second human to step on the moon: Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, was the second person to step on the moon, also on July 20, 1969.

The first re-usable rocket: Although both SpaceX and Blue Origins have been developing re-usable rockets to lift people and payloads to space, the first launch of a re-usable was made by Blue Origins on November 23, 2015. Sally Kristen Ride | First American Woman in Space Home: Library: Ride, Sally Kristen “Our future lies with today’s kids and tomorrow’s space exploration.” - DR. SALLY RIDE Sally Kristen Ride First American Woman in Space, 1951 - 2012 Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Encino, California (near Los Angeles). Sally started playing tennis at age 10, and became an excellent tennis player. She won a tennis scholarship to Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. After graduation in 1968 she attended Swarthmore College, but dropped out to pursue a career in professional tennis. After three months of hard practice, Sally decided she was not good enough to become a successful pro. She quit tennis and enrolled at Stanford University . At 27, with B.A., B.S., and masters' degrees, she was a Ph.D.

candidate looking for postdoctoral work in astrophysics when she read about NASA's call for astronauts in the Stanford University paper. More than 8,000 men and women applied to the space program that year. 35 were accepted, six of whom were women. One was Sally Ride. After joining NASA in 1977 Ride underwent extensive training that included parachute jumping, water survival, gravity and weightlessness training, radio communications and navigation. She enjoyed flight training so much that flying became a favorite hobby. During the second and third flights of the space shuttle Columbia (November 1981 and March 1982), Ride served as communications officer, relaying radio messages from mission control to the shuttle crews. Dr. Ride was also assigned to the team that designed the remote mechanical arm, used by shuttle crews to deploy and retrieve satellites. In 1983, Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the shuttle Challenger (STS-7) . Her next flight was an eight-day mission in 1984, again on Challenger (STS 41-G) . Her cumulative hours of space flight are more than 343.

Ride was preparing for her third mission when Challenger exploded in 1986. When training was suspended, she was appointed to the Presidential Commission charged with investigating the accident. She moved to NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she became assistant to the NASA administrator for long-range planning. Ride created NASA's "Office of Exploration" and produced a report on the future of the space program, "Leadership and America's Future in Space." Dr. Ride retired from NASA in 1987 to become a Science Fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University. After two years, she was named Director of the California Space Institute and Professor of Physics at the University of California, San Diego where she pursued one of her heartfelt crusades, encouraging young women to study science and math. In June, 1999 Ride joined space.com , a website about the space industry, as Executive Vice President and member of its Board of Directors. In September, 1999 she was named President of the company, a position she held until September, 2000. After leaving space.com, Dr.

Ride initiated and headed EarthKAM , an Internet-based NASA project that allows middle-school classes to shoot and download photos of the Earth from space. In 2011, NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission was launched to measure the moon's gravity. Onboard are MoonKAMs that give classrooms access to pictures of the lunar surface taken from cameras on the spacecraft. Sally Ride Science was founded to provide support for all the girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. One instrument of this mission is the Sally Ride Club , created for upper elementary and middle school girls across the country. Dr. Ride received numerous awards, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service , the Women's Research and Education Institute's American Woman Award, and twice awarded the National Spaceflight Medal. Dr. Ride was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center on June 21, 2003.

Sally Ride, first US woman in space, dies at 61 - Boston.com Boston.com Sally Ride, first US woman in space, dies at 61 By Seth Borenstein and Alicia Chang AP Science Writers / July 23, 2012 Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: Sending your article Your article has been sent. LOS ANGELES—Space used to be a man's world. Then came Sally Ride, who blazed a cosmic trail for U.S. women into orbit. With a pitch perfect name out of a pop song refrain, she joined the select club of American space heroes the public knew by heart: Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong and Aldrin. Ride, the first American woman in orbit, died Monday at her home in the San Diego community of La Jolla at age 61. The cause was pancreatic cancer, an illness she had for 17 months, according to her company, Sally Ride Science. Ride rode into space on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, when she was 32. Since then, 42 other American women flew in space.

"Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars," President Barack Obama said in a statement. When shuttles started flying frequently with crews of six or seven, astronauts became plentiful and anonymous. Not Ride. "People around the world still recognize her name as the first American woman in space, and she took that title seriously even after departing NASA," Eileen Collins, the first female space shuttle commander, said in a statement. "She never sought media attention for herself, but rather focused on doing her normally outstanding job." When Ride first launched into space, feminist icons such as Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda were at Kennedy Space Center and many wore T-shirts alluding to the pop song with the refrain of the same name: "Ride, Sally Ride." NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said Ride "broke barriers with grace and professionalism -- and literally changed the face of America's space program." "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers," he said in a statement. Ride was a physicist, writer of five science books for children and president of her own company, which motivates youngsters to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

She had also been a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. In 1978, NASA included women in the astronaut corps, selecting Ride and five other women to join the club, which had been dominated by male military test pilots. Ride beat out fellow astronaut candidates to be the first American female in space. Her first flight came two decades after the Soviets sent a woman into space. A second Soviet woman flew in space in 1982. "On launch day, there was so much excitement and so much happening around us in crew quarters, even on the way to the launch pad," Ride recalled in a NASA interview for the 25th anniversary of her flight in 2008. "I didn't really think about it that much at the time -- but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected to be the first to get a chance to go into space." Ride flew in space twice, both times on Challenger, in 1983 and on October 5, 1984, logging 343 hours in space. A third flight was cancelled when Challenger exploded in 1986.

She was on the commission investigating that accident and later served on the panel for the 2003 Columbia shuttle accident, the only person on both boards. She also was on the president's committee of science advisers. The 20th anniversary of her first flight also coincided with the loss of Columbia, a bittersweet time for Ride, who discussed it in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press. She acknowledged it was depressing to spend the anniversary investigating the accident, which killed seven astronauts. "But in another sense, it's rewarding because it's an opportunity to be part of the solution and part of the changes that will occur and will make the program better," she said. Later in the interview, she focused on science education and talked about "being a role model and being very visible." "She was very smart," said former astronaut Norman Thagard, who was on Ride's first flight. "We did have a good time." It was all work on that first flight, except for a first-in-space sprint around the inside of the shuttle, Thagard recalled in a phone interview Monday. He didn't know who won.

Born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, Ride became fascinated with science early on, playing with a chemistry kit and telescope. She also excelled in tennis and competed in national junior tournaments. She earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English from Stanford University in 1973 and a master's in 1975. She was studying for a Ph.D. when she saw an ad in the student newspaper calling for scientists and engineers to apply to become astronauts. She was chosen in 1978, the same year she earned her doctorate in physics from Stanford. Ride was married to fellow astronaut Steve Hawley from 1982 to 1987. Hawley said Ride was never fully comfortable being in the spotlight. "While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential," Hawley said in a statement released by NASA. One of Ride's last legacies was allowing middle school students to take their own pictures of the moon using cameras aboard NASA's twin Grail spacecraft in a project spearheaded by her company. "Sally literally could have done anything with her life.

She decided to devote her life to education and to inspiring young people. To me, that's such a powerful thing. It's extraordinarily admirable," said Maria Zuber, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who heads the Grail mission. Ride's office said she is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years and a co-founder of Sally Ride Science; her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear, a niece; and a nephew. ------ Sally Ride, first American woman in space, has died / Boing Boing From a post about Dr. Ride's legacy by Valerie Neal , space history curator of the National Air and Space Museum, published back in 2010: Sally Ride made history as the first U.S. woman in space, but the feat is more nuanced. She and the other five women who were first selected to be shuttle astronauts each made history, through grit and determination and some dreaming, to be ready for the opportunity of spaceflight. They entered science and engineering in the 1960s as these fields began to open up to women.

They came of age as the civil rights, equal rights, and women’s movements stimulated changes in American society and opened new career possibilities. They were poised to step through the door opened by NASA’s affirmative action policy and its aggressive recruitment of women and minorities for the astronaut corps. Accomplished American women have flown in space since 1983, so it no longer seems newsworthy; it’s just natural. That is the history that flowed from Sally Ride’s shuttle mission. Ride floats alongside Challenger's middeck airlock hatch. (Courtesy NASA) From a post commemorating her life at NASA.gov : In a space agency filled with trailblazers, Sally K. Ride was a pioneer of a different sort. The soft-spoken California physicist broke the gender barrier 29 years ago when she rode to orbit aboard space shuttle Challenger to become America’s first woman in space. "Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism – and literally changed the face of America’s space program," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired.

She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly." “Sally was a personal and professional role model to me and thousands of women around the world,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. “Her spirit and determination will continue to be an inspiration for women everywhere.” From Dr. Ride's website : In lieu of flowers, you may wish to make a gift in memory of Sally to the Sally Ride Pancreatic Cancer Initiative (Fund 4191) at UCSD. June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space | WIRED June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space subscribe 6 months for $5 - plus a FREE Portable Phone Charger. Author: Tony Long. Tony Long Science Date of Publication: 06.18.07. Time of Publication: 12:00 pm. 12:00 pm June 18, 1983: Sally Ride, the First American Woman Into Space 1983: Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links.

Contact wiredlabs@wired.com to report an issue. Ride, who hoped to become a professional tennis player before deciding she wasn't good enough, became a physicist instead and joined NASA in 1978 as part of the first astronaut class to accept women. After the usual training, Ride joined ground control for the second and third space shuttle missions, serving as communications liaison between the shuttle crews and mission control. She was also involved in developing the robot arm used aboard the shuttle craft to deploy and retrieve satellites. Ride's turn to go into space came at the shuttle program's seventh mission, as a crew member aboard Challenger. She was aboard Challenger for her second flight as well, an eight-day mission in 1984. In all, Ride logged around 345 hours in space. While it was a milestone for the U.S. space program, the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova preceded Ride into space by almost exactly 20 years. On June 16, 1963, the former textile worker went aloft aboard Vostok VI. Ride was training for her third mission when Challenger blew up in January 1986, killing everyone on board.

With all training suspended in the wake of the accident, Ride was appointed to the presidential commission charged with investigating the causes of Challenger's demise. She retired from NASA in 1987 to return to Stanford University, her alma mater. She later joined the faculty at UC San Diego as a physics professor. Since leaving NASA, Ride has remained active in the academic side of space exploration, taking a special interest in attracting more women to the sciences in general, and the space program in particular. (Sources: NASA, Lucidcafe.com)

Question: What was the name of the spacecraft that took the first American woman, Sally Ride, into space?
Answer: CHALLENGER